HUGE Shop Small UK Guide – Christmas 2020

Can you believe there is only 18 days until Christmas? Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I’m awful this year and I’m not done. I usually have all my gifts bought by now, but alas I still have my parents to buy for.

This year I wanted to do a gift guide, but not my usual one aimed at the geeks, otaku and kawaii fans, beauty, fashion etc etc. I wanted to instead focus on small companies/independent artists/businesses who need our support more than ever due to COVID and it’s affects from lockdowns here in the UK.

First of all, I’m only speaking about the UK as with a Twitter poll a couple of weeks ago, it’s what you as the readers voted for. However at the end of the post I will mention who you can shop small with all over the world too.

I’m going to add all sorts of categories here, not just geek, kawaii, otaku related. I’ll be talking about beauty, home, geek, Japan related, food and more! I want to try and talk about as much as I can, so when you need ideas for Christmas gifts you have lots of choice. I will also mention the last date to order for Christmas too if you’re in the UK. Please bear in mind with the COVID situation and Christmas on the horizon, Royal Main is struggling a little, so if you want to order, order as soon as possible!

Let’s get started! I really hope you guys enjoy this post. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Geeky/Kawaii

Image taken from Jennifairy Illustration

Jennifairy Illustration – Creating cuties to make you smile. Enamel pins, stickers and keychains, all inspired by cute animals, video game characters and more.

Last date to order for Christmas – 14th December. However, if order after this date it could still get there but that can’t be promised. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Jennifairy Illustration is an independent artist/store I have spoken about on my blog since 2017 and I knew they were one of the first places I wanted to speak about today! Jennifairy has a range of products – enamel pins, stickers and keychains. Her style is incredibly cute and kawaii and the designs make me smile whenever I see them, both on her store and in my home. If you know someone who loves cute animals and certain characters from popular video games, then they will love to open a cute design from Jennifairy. Christmas wise you can pick up some gingerbread friends or even a Christmas Pikachu, with a Santa’s hat and a cup of coffee. There are loads of different designs to choose from, there is something for everyone.

Image taken from Littlest Spook Shop

Littlest Spook Shop – We put the Oo in spooky! Cute spooky ghost prints, mugs and other items to choose from!

Last date to order for Christmas – Currently Littlest Spook Shop is looking to close 9th December.

Halloween isn’t just once a year with Littlest Spook Shop. I discovered them around Halloween this year and I love their spooky ghost designs. They’re so damn cute and spoopy and I’m down for that. I regret not ordering some of their Christmas cards this year to be honest, but there’s always next year. If you know someone who celebrates Halloween all year around then a print (or two!) from Littlest Spook Shop may just be for them! Not only do they sell prints but they also sell mugs, tote bags, enamel pins and patches so that spooky friend or family member can show off their love of ghosts and all things spooky all year around! The Always Cosy Club spooky print shouts out to me so much. During the colder months I’m like that little ghosty.

Image taken from FoxLeap

FoxLeap – Kawaii designs inspired by Disney and Japanese characters from films and video games.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at time of writing post.

FoxLeap is an independent artist/store I love buying enamel pins from. They’re adorable and there is always something in the store I want to pick up, including the Jiji enamel pin which I may need to order myself as a treat for writing this post. 😛 There is something for everyone when it comes down to FoxLeap including designs inspired by Disney (especially The Lion King series!), Pokemon, Studio Ghibli, Wolf’s Rain, Okami and more. Anyone who loves enamel pins will really love to receive a FoxLeap design and honestly they probably already know of FoxLeap’s existence. Not only do they make and sell enamel pins but they also sell prints, t-shirts, stickers, enamel pin flags, tote bags and more so there is plenty to choose from!

Image taken from NaomiLordArt

NaomiLordArt – A freelance artist who creates adorable prints inspired by animals, magical creatures, witches, Goddesses, Critical Role and more!

Last date to order for Christmas – Orders will be shipped until the shop closes for Christmas on 20th December. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Guys you know me I love kawaii animals, especially foxes and that is something NaomiLordArt does so bloody well! I mean, look at them cute seasonal fox designs! I feel anyone of any age will love a little stocking filler that involves one of the many designs that NaomiLordArt has on offer. Plus if you and your friends are fans of Critical Role, she’s drawn all of the gang and put it onto a print, which you can find here. I feel NaomiLordArt would be perfect as items to gift children, teenagers and anyone who loves prints and stickers. I’ve gifted my best friend goodies from there before that were surrounding Star Wars and Harry Potter. There are also RPG class animal stickers and prints too, so if you play in a D&D group and are taking part in a D&D themed Secret Santa, these would make perfect gifts alongside some dice.

Image taken from GIPHY

Japanese Snacks

Image taken from Something Japanese

Something Japanese – UK based online shop that sells the best things from Japan! Chocolate, Candy, Collectables, Otaku Goodies and much much more.

Last date to order for Christmas – December 21st. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Something Japanese is a store I have bought from for about five years now and they are really good! I especially love to pick up the Japanese snack boxes from them as they’re always an amazing price for how many Japanese sweets and treats you get. I ordered the Halloween one and it was amazing and I’ve ordered the Christmas Japanese Candy Box too. This might make for an amazing gift to someone who loves Japanese sweets and treats and who may also miss Japan or want to visit Japan. COVID has prevented travelling to Japan for a lot of people and I know a lot of my friends who missed out on their trips this year. This would make for a nice treat to open Christmas Day. Something Japanese does sell other items too and separate sweet treats so make sure to check that out too.

Image taken from Tofu Cute

Tofu Cute – A UK kawaii shop that sells all sorts of cute and unique Japanese snacks, plushies, accessories, stationery and other goodies.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at time of writing post.

Tofu Cute is a store me and my boyfriend often order our Japanese sweets from as they’re great prices and they always seem to have the goods that Japan get at the same time. Not only do they stock sweets but also drinks as well! We’ve bought many bottles of ramune and Pokemon fizzy drinks from Tofu Cute and they’ve all been enjoyed! Think my favourite thing I’ve ever bought from Tofu Cute are the Melty Kiss chocolates. They’re to die for and would make an amazing gift for someone’s stocking this Christmas. 🙂

Image taken from GIPHY

Home

Image taken from Cushty Co Twitter page

Cushty Co – Handmade home fragrance. Scented soy wax melts beautifully crafted with sprinkles of glitter and careful colouring. Vegan friendly.

Last date to order for Christmas – Monday 14th December – Store will close at 5pm. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Cushty Co are my go to for wax melts and I’ve ended up buying so many this year! Their autumn/Halloween collection being my favourite to date. If you know someone who loves burning candles and wax tarts like me, Cushty Co are a great place to check out. They do LOADS of different scent varieties and three different sizes of wax so the choices are huge. They currently have their Christmas/winter scents in stock and I have all of them! They’re absolutely amazing and if you know someone who loves Christmas and wishes it could be everyday, then some of the Christmas/winter scents will be right up their street. Not only do Cushty Co sell wax tarts, but they also sell room sprays too, which I’m yet to try. If you know someone who loves Lush then they’ll love Unicorn Dreams which smells exactly like Snow Fairy and Nightfall which smells exactly like Twlight.

Image taken from Bubble Baskets UK/Books Baths and Beauty

Bubble Baskets UK/Books Baths and Beauty – Lovingly Custom made 3D printed Bubble Baskets.

Last date to order for Christmas – 17th December if ordering a pink, black or ombré bubble basket. 14th December if ordering a custom colour. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I recently decided to buy myself a bubble basket from Books Baths and Beauty as I’ve wanted one for over a year now and as my bathroom was redone in the summer, I’ve finally been indulging in bath products and having bath cocktails more. It arrived over the weekend I’ve used it a few times since. It’s really good and if you’re like me and use bubble bars, shower gels and more to create bubbles, then this is for you! They’re made with a 3D printer and are sturdy and amazing! 😀 If you know someone who loves taking baths and using the same products as I do, this will be perfect for helping them create lots of bubbles! Teenagers will love this, as well as mermaids.

Image taken from GIPHY

Beauty

Image taken from The Bath Bae

The Bath Bae  –  Handmade bath treats to make you glow inside and out. Vegan and cruelty free!

Last date to order for Christmas – Monday 21 December at 3pm Royal Mail Tracked 48 or Tuesday 22 December at 3pm Royal Mail Tracked 24. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I recently made my first order with The Bath Bae and honestly – I have zero regrets. They focus on bath bomb products in various different varieties and scents so there is plenty to choose from! So far I’ve only tried the bath cubes and they are amazing, perfect for anyone of any age. You can pick up bath sparkle, sparkle rocks, bath cubes and bath soak. These would make great stocking fillers for teenagers and anyone who loves a good soak in the bath. My favourite scent from them so far is Oh So Slushie, which reminds me of Tango Ice Blast slushies from the cinema.

Image taken from Happy Melon

Happy Melon – Handmade beauty products made in small batches and packed with cuteness, colour and yummy fragrance. Cruelty free!

Last date to order for Christmas – Restock this Sunday (13/12/2020) and as items sell out quickly, there isn’t really a last date to order for Christmas.

Happy Melon is a brand I discovered this year and bought from during their last restock. If you know someone who loves their beauty and bath products and for them to be as colourful as possible, Happy Melon is a good indie brand for this! They have a wide variety of products including bubble bath, lip sugar, perfume oil, bath soak (snuggle soak), sugar scrub and more! One of the bubble baths I own is a Lush Snow Fairy dupe (Sabrina bubble bath) and it’s one of my favourite products to use after a long day. Plus a little goes a long way and this stuff lasts AGES! One of the products I am excited to try soon is the Pop Kei Snuggle Soak, which smells just like Tango Ice Blast slushies! It would work so well with the slushie bath cubes from The Bath Bae. Again this is a great brand for teenagers due to how colourful everything is and maybe even children too due to how colourful and sparkly the bubble baths are.

Image taken from Hex Bomb

Hex Bomb – Divine handmade gothic beauty products for dark sweets hearts. Creator of the first black bath bomb! Cruelty free and vegan!

Last date to order for Christmas – 21st December. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

Hex Bomb is a brand I have always wanted to try since the Black As Your Soul bath bomb came out. I’m yet to try it still and plan to buy it in the near future! I’ve mentioned some colourful and kawaii beauty indie brands so far, so I wanted to through a gothic, dark brand in there for good measure. I love me a dark bath, it reflects who I am inside and this brand would be perfect for any goth friend or relative out there! Not only do they make bath bombs but Hex Bomb also sell shower gel, soap, scrub, lip balm, perfume oil AND even wax melts for your home. If you aren’t sure what to buy that gothic beauty in your life (because Hex Bomb have a lot of variety!) you could always pick up one of their gift boxes which contains a variety of products. If you want to see a review (or two) of Hex Bomb make sure to go and check out my great blogger friend Raiin Monkey’s blog posts here.

Image taken from GIPHY

Honourable Mentions

Geek/Kawaii – Quirkory – Due to being based in Italy, they didn’t qualify for this shop small post. However, I couldn’t not mention them! They sell enamel pins, stickers and prints inspired by Japanese video games and cute animals.

Geek/Kawaii – Claire Likes To Doodle – The reason I didn’t mention my friend Claire and her store is because she got a post allllll to herself recently! Which I am going to link here. 🙂

Geek/Kawaii – 1 In 100/One In Hundred – A local Brummy like myself, Alex over at 1 In 100 has some amazing designs on her store and you can buy items from clothing, badges, keyrings, stickers, prints, stationary and more. I keep meaning to pick up some of her Japan inspired prints. Check them out here and here.

Geek/Kawaii – Chibi Shibby – May have bought a Christmas present from one of my favourite artists… 😉 Shibby recently reopened her store and has filled it was gorgeous kawaii goodies! There’s also some Christmas related goods in there too.

Geek/Kawaii – Lunaticgumis – Due to being based in Gran Canaria, they didn’t quality for this shop small post. However, I am planning to write about them on my blog very very soon! 😀 They sell stickers as well as amigurumis (Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures). They stock Bee and Puppycat designs WHICH I LOVE!

Geek/Kawaii – Taiyakiblue – This store is joint owned by tattooists senseoftheterrific and tubbybeartattoo. They stock clothing, prints and even some keyrings and pins made out of resin. They’re both inspired by geeky/kawaii themes such as D&D, Studio Ghibli, Dragonball Z, Moomins, Adventure Time and more. I’ve purchased a Christmas present from them and plan to buy prints in the future! I love their style so much.

Bath – Bath Bake Love – No restock until after Christmas where there will be lots of enchanted teasers for the New Year Wonderland and plenty of goodies in January!

AND THERE WE HAVE IT! My HUGE shop small Christmas shopping guide for the UK!

What do you guys think? I wanted to try and cover as much as I could and I like to think I’ve done that quite well. In the future I may pop up with some of these after Christmas, just as good shopping guides throughout the year for birthday’s and more!

Honestly guys, I hope you enjoyed this post today as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’m off work for the week and the first thing I knew I wanted to do was to write this post.

Are there any small shops in the UK that you feel I should know about? Make sure to let me know and I’ll take a look for next time!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you had a lovely weekend. 🙂

August Wish List ’20

I can’t quite believe it’s August already and to be honest with you, I’m pretty damn glad. July was good because it meant my bathroom was completed, however it was incredibly stressful and I wasn’t very well for the majority of it.

I’m glad for August to bring a fresh month, something new and also a month for me to save the money I spent on the labour for the bathroom too.

Although I am trying to save my money this month, it doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to still have and share my wish list with you this month! That and I bought three pieces from the Black Milk Clothing x Pokemon collection last week… Oops! 😛

I’m really loving the variety on it and I hope you do too. 🙂

• Insert Coin Persona 5 Morgana Hoodie (link)

If there is one thing I love seeing, it’s when Insert Coin reveals they have a new collection out and it’s clearly Persona 5 related. They recently announced more items that were joining their ever growing collection and I for one love everything! I especially love that not everything is a high cost too. The new pullover hoodie they’ve brought out is so gorgeous! I don’t have a red hoodie, so this red is right up my street and I love that Morgana is on the front of it too. I wont be purchasing this for a while… But the time will come when I do decide to pick it up!

• Goodsmile Company Nendoroid A Clockwork Orange Alex DeLarge (link)

I feel like I haven’t had a Nendoroid pre-order arrive for quite a while, so I’m definitely overdue now. For those who may not know, I’m a big fan of A Clockwork Orange and have been since I was about… 15/16 years old. When I lived at home I used to have a canvas up of Alex DeLarge, I dressed up as him once for Halloween and I own some t-shirts with Alex DeLarge on. SO, when this Nendoroid was announced when I was in Japan in January, I asked YY Kawaii if she could get him for me, which she could and did! I’m so excited for Alex DeLarge to arrive this month! He looks perfect. If you haven’t watched A Clockwork Orange before then definitely give it a go, but it is a dark film, with some strange themes. There was a lot of controversy surrounding it due to a lot of the themes that went on in the film and I think it was banned from the UK for a time. I still recommend it though. 🙂

• Pokemon Four Seasons Collection Re-ment – Vulpix (link)

I was recently gifted an amazing parcel by YY Kawaii which contained some items she was giving away over on Instagram (the giveaway is now closed!) and within that there was some re-ment figures, including one from the four seasons collection. I was really hoping for the Vulpix re-ment but instead I got a Wartortle and Sandygast one which is really summery and cute. As Autumn is one of my favourite months, this Vulpix autumn re-ment is shouting out to me! I’ll buy it eventually, but for now I can wait. 🙂

• Kickstarter Adorablush Pokemon Fruit Salad Enamel Pins KICKSTARTER NOW ENDED (link)

This Kickstarter is adorable and it’s one both me and Sarah (from Raiin Monkey) have backed together to save on postage… Smart, eh? 😛 We both loved the look of this Kickstarter campaign for fruit Pokemon enamel pins. There are eight designs to choose from, I’ve gone for the watermelon Shaymin and strawberry Eevee and Sarah has gone for the strawberry Eevee too! Alongside the enamel pins you also get prints that match, which will be awesome! I’m so excited for us to receive our pins. I’ll be sending Sarah’s off to her when it arrives, with some other goodies too… 😛

• Lunaticgumis Puppycat Sticker (link)

If you guys didn’t know by now, I am a MASSIVE Bee & Puppycat fan! I’ve been after some more merchandise from the TV show/comic book for a while, but it’s lacking AND not easy to get hold of in the UK. This sticker is from Spain and delivers to the UK, which is always good. It’s really cute and would love to add it to my “sticker collection”. During  lock down I’ve gathered quite a lot of stickers but I don’t quite know what to do with them.

• Cushty Co Unicorn Blood Soy Wax Melt (link)

About 10 years ago I discovered a brand called Lily Flame and their gorgeous scented candle called Fairy Dust. I’ve owned a few since then and they’re amazing. However, I can’t justify buying any new candles right now and sadly Lily Flame aren’t exactly cheap. Cushty Co do a dupe of this scent, which I’d love to give a go myself in future! I’m still trying to get through my candles and wax melts at the moment, but sadly they’ve been hurting my throat so I’m trying not to use them too frequently at the moment.

• Disney Store Lady Small Soft Toy in Box (link)

This Lady plush is very much sold out/out of stock at he moment and I’m semi gutted. My favourite Disney film is Lady and the Tramp for so many reasons so when I saw that the Disney Store were selling this lady in a box, just like in the film I knew I had to have it. Of course, I’ve missed that window due to setting myself on a spending ban, but at the same time I was being indecisive. I’m really hoping the Disney Store bring it back as I would love to purchase this cute Lady plus.

• Costa Coffee China Unicorn Mug (link)

Finally we have an item I pre-ordered through YY Kawaii a month or so ago. I saw her mention that Costa Coffee in China were making unicorn mugs and merchandise, which looked and are adorable! There were two takeaway mugs and two mugs. I went for the glass unicorn mug to drink my teas and coffees from. I don’t exactly need anymore mugs in my life, but this was kind of too cute to pass up and as I used to work at Costa Coffee many moons ago, I thought it would be nice to add one of the unicorn designs from China to my kitchen!

So there we have it, my wish list for August! Some of the items are pre-orders or have arrived already, such as my Nendoroid Alex DeLarge, which arrived last week. This being said, as I mentioned at the start of the post I’m going on a spending ban for August. I will only buy items that are essential or occasionally buy items that are limited edition or limited time, but that probably won’t happen much.

What items do you have on your wish lists this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments below, as well as to what items you like from my list!

Until next time all, take care and stay safe. 🙂

September ’16 Wish List

Gosh I really struggled to get this wish list put together this month and I really don’t know why! I did feel like I was lusting after more things coming up to September but alas that doesn’t appear to be the case.

I managed to scrape a list together mind and I can actually see September being a very naughty month for me… I would have included the Kat Von D items I’m hoping to pick up from Debenhams mid September but I want to have a separate post for that.

But for now here is my wish list for September, woohoo!

• Beauty Bakerie Matte Lip Whip in She’s Just Jelly – £15.95 (link)

As regular readers of my blog will know I love wearing lipsticks and especially liquid lipsticks. Although I love my Jeffree Star Cosmetics liquid lipsticks I am always open to trying other brands. I have heard nothing but great things about Beauty Bakerie and would love to give their matte lip whips a go! I’ve had my eye on She’s Just Jelly which is a lovely dark purple shade, which will be perfect for autumn and winter.

• Oh K! Cherry Blossom Hand Cream – £6.50 (link)

I’ve heard quite a bit about Oh K! recently from various bloggers and it looks like such an adorable brand, very kawaii! I have wanted something from the range for quite a while now but I hadn’t quite seen anything I liked the look of until now. I love hand cream and can never get enough of it, I put this down to my eczema… But how adorable is the packaging for this hand cream??? It’s an adorable panda and I would make sure to keep reusing the pot after using the hand cream up. Plus it has a cherry blossom scent, can’t get any better than that eh? I’ll be keeping my eye on this and picking it up when I need a treat.

• Blink-182 California Album – £4.99 (link)

I have listened to this album already… Many times in fact and I love it so much! I haven’t listened to an album like this for a long time where I just want to keep listening to it, so I’m really pleased about that as you may have guessed. The band just seem better off without Tom DeLonge and instead with Matt Skiba. I always preferred +44 because their music just wasn’t kiddy and silly all the time. If you loved +44 like I did then you will love Blink-182 now Tom has gone!  I don’t know if I’ll buy this as a CD, instead I might just pick it up on iTunes. I can’t believe how cheap CD’s are now!

• Soft Kitty Clothing Pastel Pika Dress – £17.00 (link)

I’m a sucker for lycra clothing, usually Black Milk Clothing but 1. they’re super expensive and 2. they haven’t yet released a Pokemon collection. I recently discovered Soft Kitty Clothing through a seller on Depop and decided to check out the clothing on their website for myself. Well there really are some little gems on there, including this dress. I’m a massive Pokemon nerd so this dress is really up my street, and at £17.00 it’s a complete bargain too. I don’t know if I’ll ever buy this to be honest as whilst I am brave enough to wear all sorts out and about, I don’t know if I would be able to feel confident in this dress… I guess teamed up with some nice shoes and a cool jacket I could pull it off… We shall see. I would love if they made an Eeveelutions or Mew dress.

• Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask – £10.57 (link)

If you haven’t heard or seen people talking about this mask on blogs and YouTube then you need to crawl up from under your rock and get searching. This is a Korean face mask that everyone seems to be trying at the moment. It’s a mask that reacts with oxygen to foam up and expand, and let me tell you it looks really cool! I’ll pop the link to where Bunny over at grav3yardgirl tried it. I really want to give this a go as not only does it look cool but it actually sounds like an awesome face mask to try.

• Village Candle Wax Melts in Sugarplum Fairy – £3.90 (link)

Village Candle are a brand I haven’t tried before but Dane has and they are beautiful candles. Just as good as Yankee Candle’s to be honest. Near to where I live someone was selling these in a store so I got to smell pretty much all the scents. Sadly when I went to go and purchase this she had left and was only selling online from then on. Was a real shame to be honest but meh at least I can buy from her online. Sugarplum Fairy is a scent that I can’t really describe… All I can say about it is that it smells sweet and reminds me of something I would have smelt and fallen in love with as a child. I’m burning wax tarts like crazy of late so I would love to add these to my collection in the future.

• Build A Bear Pokemon Eevee Set – £48.50 (link)

I have saved the best until last for this post and this is definitely something I will be buying as soon as I am paid (in 6 days!!!!!) as I really want it! I heard about the rumor of an Eevee joining the Build A Bear store but I didn’t quite believe it… That is until pictures leaked. Due to all the leaks and excitement around this teddy Build A Bear decided to release it early. AHHH! At the time of writing this post the Eevee came out today, and has already sold out in America. I know it’s expensive but there is a reason for that. You get the Eevee, two outfits, a voice box inside so it can speak and a limited edition Pokemon card exclusively for Build A Bear. I really want to order this right now, but I’m skint so I won’t be able to. Plus it’s now out of stock in the UK… Sad times. This is so damn cute! I’d end up keeping it downstairs in the living room to snuggle into whilst watching TV with Dane. I’m such a big kid, I don’t even care!

So that was my wish list for September! What goodies do you have your eye on this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time all take care and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far.

Some Bedtime Treats

I love my bed. It’s my safe place and the best place to snuggle up on rainy weekends with my boyfriend whilst we watch anime and films.

It’s also the place where I like to snuggle up under the covers and have some beauty and self-indulgent treats.

The first thing I like to do is make sure I’m nice and moisturised before bed. I’ve been using various foot moisturisers at the moment, with I slather on my feet as much as possible and put my white cotton socks over the top. I sleep in this and wake up to find my feet lovely and soft! The foot cream I’ve been reaching for the most at the moment is Heel Genius by Soap & Glory (review here). I don’t do this every night, but every other night I’ll do this. I’ll soon be doing this every night as I want nice soft feet ready for spring and summer this year.

Another thing I like to keep soft and smooth are my hands. I suffer from mild eczema in both the winter and summer, HOWEVER I haven’t as of yet had any issues and I thinks it’s because I’ve been making sure to keep my hands moisturised whenever I can. My sister-in-law gave me a huge Sanctuary Spa gift set for Christmas and this came inside of it. I’ve been keeping it by my bed to use throughout the day as well as before I go to sleep. It’s not too thick and really does leave my hands feeling soft. The smell isn’t the best in the world but I don’t care, it does the job.

I like to make sure my lips are moisturised all the time! As soon as they feel dry I make sure to apply plenty of lip balm, as the worst thing for me are a chapped pair of lips. Especially if I want to wear my lipstick and not need to worry about scrubbing away any dead skin first. I know it should be the done thing, but sometimes I don’t have the effort. I love my Carmex lip balms (review here) and these are my go to lip balm at the moment for when I’m at home. I’m currently trying to make my way through plenty of lip balms as I appear to have quite a few… I’m sure I’ll make my way through them though.

You can’t go wrong with burning a candle in the evenings, especially when it’s cold and miserable at the moment. I’m currently burning Yankee Candle’s Red Raspberry wax tart and it’s safe to say I LOVE it! At first it reminded me of The Comforter bubble bar from Lush but now it reminds me of something else, which I can’t quite put my finger on. I love this though and intend to buy a jar of it in the future. I’ve recently gone back to burning wax tarts as instead of forking out for large jars, I may as well pick up some of the scents I want to try before I buy in tart form.

Days in bed are definitely days spent doing next to anything and watching TV shows. One series I’ve been loving at the moment is Dexter and since getting Netflix I’ve been able to continue watching it… Seeing as Amazon Prime took it down. I’m currently just over the halfway mark of season 4 and really addicted to it. I’ve been told not to watch until the end, but I will. I love Dexter’s character too much to just let him go and not find out what happens to him.

Another series, well three series in one that I’ve been enjoying is Cucumber, Banana and Tofu. These are a trilogy of shows put together about gay relationships, as well as a couple of straight ones thrown in there. It’s very modern, funny and great for people of any age. Cucumber focuses more towards older ages, whilst Banana focuses towards a younger audience. Tofu however is only 10-11 minutes long and each week focuses on different topics relating to sex. I love shows like this as they’re so interesting, as well as keeping a funny and lighthearted side to them too. If you haven’t watching any of them yet, do it!

Finally what I really enjoying doing whether my boyfriend is here or not, is to snuggle up to my Totoro plushie and my seal plushie from my second home. My Totoro is huge and it makes it somewhat comforting if I’m feeling a little lonely, sleepy, or just want something to snuggle. My seal plushie is just so squishy and nice, which can make a change from the size of the Totoro one.

Either way, I love having time to chill in bed with all these comforts and treats before I go to sleep and as I’ve written this post out this evening, I’ve done them all. Including snuggling with my Totoro plushie and watching Dexter.

What are your bedtime treats that you do before bed? Let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time, take care all and I wish you all a good sleep tonight.